Backwards Love
by imagination0615
Summary: It's 2 years after the war and the nations are in peace, everything is just about falling into place. Everyone should seem happy right? Wrong. Katara's with Aang and Zuko's with Mai, that's not how Zuko and Katara expected the war to end. They were supposed to be together but Zuko and Katara don't want to break anyone's heart. So they're both stuck, they're both in backwards love.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of A:TLA, sadly.**

**Also this is my first fanfiction so fingers crossed it will turn out good.**

_Katara_

I could feel the breeze blowing through my hair and took a deep breath in. The smell of clouds brought a smile to my face, I got into a comfortable position in the saddle and closed my eyes. And yes clouds do have a smell, it's something between rain and fog, and fog also has a smell too but I'm not going to get into that. I could hear Sokka and Suki snoring next to me, I cracked one eye open and saw Aang in the front guiding Appa and Toph playing with a rock. The war ended 2 years ago and everything is just about done. I mean there are still some Firebenders who are trying to build an army to take over the Fire Nation but honestly it's just a handful of them. Maybe later in the future it would be a problem if more come together but right now there isn't anything to worry about. We didn't expect _everyone_ to like how the war ended, it took a while for the Fire Nation to accept how the world is now, heck even the Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom. After hundreds of years of hatred towards the Fire Nation I understand how hard it would be to trust them. But now that we have the Avatar and an amazing Fire Lord I can see the future of the world being in complete peace, no hatred towards any nation. Speaking of the Fire Lord that's who we're on our way to see now and to say I'm excited would be an understatement. We haven't seen Zuko and Ursa in almost 6 months, we try to visit them as much as possible but it's hard. After the war ended Zuko stayed in the Fire Nation while the rest of us went to Ba Sing Se to help get everything back in order. We also stopped off in some other villages along the way and let me tell you it wasn't simple. And yes, you heard right we found Zuko's mom. She reminds me of my mother so much, she's caring, gentle, and super funny. It didn't take long to find her but it also wasn't easy, but that's a story for another time.

"We'll be there in about 20 minutes!" Aang yelled. I opened my eyes and looked down over Appa's saddle. Past the clouds I could see small little houses, when I looked up into the far distance I could kind of make out the Fire Nation Palace. I felt a wave of excitement run through my body and I all of a suddenly got really giddy. After months and months of working I can't wait to just relax and Zuko really knows how to treat his guest. You almost feel like you're royalty.

"Calm down Sweetness, we'll be there soon." Toph smirked while rubbing the rock between her hands. The rock keeps her calm when she can't see, it's almost like a stress reliever. When it was time to go to the South Pole Toph was a mess. Toph and ice don't mix well. In all honesty Toph was kind of useless. 1. She couldn't bend anything and 2. she couldn't see, so all she really did was wrap herself in furs and hide in one of the igloos. It wasn't her fault anyway, but we did _try_ to make Toph have some sort of fun. We took her penguin sledding, and then everyday for 3 months she made us go penguin sledding with her. I can safely say I hate penguin sledding now. But after we left the South Pole Toph was a huge help, I don't think we could have gotten anything done without her. She has to be one of the best Earthbenders in the world. Don't tell her I said that, she won't let me live it down. After helping out in the Earth Kingdom we went to the North Pole, but they really didn't need all that fixing. They've always been stable since the beginning, so we just stayed there for a couple days and then left.

"YOU GUYS WE WON THE WAR! LET'S CELEBRATE!" Sokka screamed. I rolled my eyes and continued to watch the little houses pass underneath us.

"Sokka we know, it's been 2 years you don't have to keep reminding us." Suki said rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"But isn't it great?" Sokka grinned. I turned around and watched as Toph crawled towards Sokka and punched him in the arm. "Ow, Toph!"

"Sorry Snoozles but someone had to do it." She laughed. Every since the war ended Sokka has tried to find any excuse to celebrate. For example, 'Let's celebrate that we didn't die', 'Let's celebrate that Loserlord Ozai lost his bending', or 'Let's celebrate that Azula is a crazy psychotic ex princess'. There's more than just those. I think he's just trying to find an excuse to party, we did go and celebrate after the war and Sokka went all out. And by all out I mean dancing on tables and making out with trees. After we witnessed that we all swore to never celebrate anything with Sokka ever again.

"Alright guys we're here." Aang said hopping down from Appa. I quickly got up and helped a very pregnant Suki get down carefully. She's 7 months into her pregnancy and she is just a big bundle of hormones, it's a pain in the butt. One minute she's happy, one minute she crying, and then another minute she's eating tiger seal meat covered in tomato carrot jam. It's disgusting.

After we got Suki safely on the ground I crawled back up onto Appa and helped Toph.

"Ah, sweet sweet earth." Toph said with a grin. I was about to turn and get our luggage from Appa but felt a hand wrap around my waist.

"Don't worry Katara, I got it." Aang said with a smile, he kissed my cheek and flew up to get our bags. I smiled sadly at him and turned back towards Suki who was bawling her eyes out because of how beautiful the palace looked.

"It's just so pretty!" Suki wailed. I looked over at Sokka and it looked like he was about to faint, again. From the moment Sokka found out Suki was pregnant until now Sokka has fainted a total of 21 times. He's doing a lot better than I expected.

"I know Suki, come on you need to go lay down." I said with a smile. She wiped away her tears and started towards the palace doors. "Sokka why are you just standing there? Come on."

"Hey Zuko, it's good to see you again?" Aang yelled from behind me. I quickly looked forward and saw a tall man in a long red robe, his black hair was up in a knot held together by a gold headpiece, but the thing that stood out the most wasn't the blazing scar on his left eye but the genuine smile that was displayed on his face. Mai was standing next to him with a bored look on her face but I knew she was happy to see us, with Azula in a mental health facility and Ty Lee with the Kyoshi Warriors she really doesn't have any friends in the Fire Nation.

"Welcome Aang, it's nice to see you." Zuko said formally. I tried to hold in a laugh because this wasn't like Zuko at all. From the time I first met Zuko all I really knew of him to do was yell a lot and preach about honor.

"Oh come on Zuko, give your old friend Aang a hug." Aang teased. Zuko let out a chuckle and walked over to Aang, giving him a friendly hug. When they let go Sokka ran into Zuko nearly knocking him off his feet. I saw in the distance some of the guards watching with wide eyes, expecting the Fire Lord to attack Sokka.

"Hey Sokka, it's good to see you too." Zuko said hugging Sokka back.

"Move Lazy Bones, it's my turn to hug Sparky." Toph said pushing Sokka away and wrapping her arms around Zuko. Toph grew a couple of inches in the past 2 years but she was still a lot shorter than him. Zuko looked down at Toph and smiled at her, Zuko and Toph have gotten really close since he first joined the Gaang. They're almost like brother and sister in a way, which is good for Zuko because he never got to play that brotherly role growing up with Azula.

"OK can we please get this over with, my feet are killing me." Suki said walking up to Zuko.

"It's nice to see you too Suki." Zuko grinned, he then called over one of the guards to get some rooms ready for us and to help with our bags. "What, you're not happy to see me Katara?" Zuko smirked. Oh what I would give to wipe that grin off of his face.

"Of course I'm happy to see you Zuko, who wouldn't be?" I smiled, wrapping my arms around his neck. I made sure not to let the hug last too long because Aang gets jealous fast. I will admit when Zuko's arms were wrapped around my waist they started tingling but I quickly shook off the feeling. We all started to walk towards the palace, I looked over at Toph and saw her smirking at me. I gave her a confused look but she just continued to smirk.

"Mai do you mind showing our guest to their rooms?" Zuko turned to Mai. She just rolled her eyes and started walking down a corridor. "I just have some paper work to handle and then we will have lunch."

"Alright Zuko take your time, we'll be fine." Aang reassured Zuko.

"When guys are all settled in you can just roam around the palace and look around if you want." He then turned and walked into a dark room.

"I think it would be a good idea if the boys stayed in one room and the girls in another." Suki suggested. Me and Toph nodded in agreement while Sokka turned around to face us.

"What?! No Suki, you're staying with me!" Sokka yelled. Suki then slapped Sokka in the back of the head with a scowl. Me, Toph, and Aang started laughing and even Mai cracked a smile at that.

"I do what I please and I want to be with Toph and Katara, do you understand!" Suki said crossing her arms. Sokka nodded and turned around walking into him and Aang's room. Me and the girls followed Mai a little ways down the hall and we stood in front of a big door.

"Well this is your room." Mai said with no emotion in her voice. She was about to turn around and walk away but Toph stopped her.

"Where do you think you're going Gloomy, we have a lot to catch up on." Toph said puling Mai into the room with us. I saw a shocked look on her face that then turned into a smile so small you would have never noticed it. I told you Mai was happy to see us know matter know many times she rolls her eyes.

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><p>An hour later we're all laughing at a story that Toph was telling us. Apparently back in Ba Sing Se during the middle of the night Toph snuck off to the market to get a late night snack and was ambushed by some boy who had a crush on her. He tried to kiss her but ended up hanging by his underwear in a tree instead.<p>

"Aw poor kid." Mai said while clutching her stomach in pain from laughing.

"So Mai, how have you been so far since the war end?" Suki asked her after we all calmed down.

"It's nice and all but it's so boring." Mai whined. "I'm practically trapped in this damn palace. The guards don't let me out of their sight, I complained to Zuko already but he just brushes it off."

"Well now that we're here we are going to have one hell of a good time." I said enthusiastically. We all laughed but suddenly stopped when there was a knock at the door.

"You ladies ready for lunch?" Aang asked through the door. We all got up and headed out of the room to the dining hall. When Sokka looked up from eating he instantly saw Suki and ran up to her to see if she's alright. It's cute how much he cares about her but I could totally understand why it aggravates Suki so much.

"Sit where ever you like, we're having roast duck, clam noodle soup, and Komodo sausage. Oh, Katara do you mind getting my mother from her sleeping chamber I think she'll be very happy to see you." Zuko smiled.

"Ya no problem." I got up and made my way towards Ursa's sleeping chamber. I knocked on her door and waited a couple seconds. The door swung open and I came face to face with Zuko's mom. She was gorgeous. Her long black hair fell down her back and a gentle smile was playing on her lips, she then grabbed my arm and pulled me into a bone crushing hug.

"Oh Katara, look at you! You've grown up so much in 6 months, how are you, where have you been, how's Suki?" She asked suddenly. I laugh then pulled back from her hug. Grabbing her hand I led her to the dining room where everyone was waiting for us.

"I'll explain everything later but first everyone's waiting for us to eat lunch." I said. She nodded her head in understanding but then started smirking.

"Last one to the dining room is a rotten turtle duck egg!" She yelled running ahead of me. I stood there in shock but quickly started running after her. We both ran into the dining room at the same time laughing. "I won!"

"No you didn't I won fair and square." I smiled triumphantly, walking towards the table and sitting in between Aang and Ursa.

"In you're dreams, Zuko tell Katara that I won." Ursa turned to Zuko who had a mouth full of noodles.

"Actually you both came in at the same time." Sokka said while trying to stuff an entire duck leg into his mouth..

"Oh come on! Alright fine but next time I'm going to win." I teased Ursa. She looked at me with a grin, now I know where Zuko got it from.

"We'll see about that." She said sticking her tongue out at me. We all started laughing, I looked up from Ursa and spotted Mai with a small frown.

'Are you ok?' I mouthed to her. She nodded and continued to pick at her duck. I knew she wasn't ok, I'll ask her about it later. The rest of the time we ate all I could hear is people talking and Sokka eating. Looking around I realized I was surrounded by the people I care about the most, the only people who were missing was Gran Gran and Uncle Iroh. They both died last year, Uncle Iroh from a heart attack and Gran Gran from just old age. Being a healer I felt like I could have done so much more, but there was nothing I could do. All I did was helplessly watch as Iroh and Gran Gran died, Zuko was heart broken we all were but he took it the hardest when Iroh passed. It was only me and Zuko in the room when it happened.

_Flashback_

_"No! Uncle, wake up!" Zuko screamed kneeling next to his uncle._

_I looked down and saw that Iroh's chest wasn't moving. I didn't know what to do, I had to do something. I tried to think of an idea but came up blank, I felt so useless. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes and I let out a soft sob. Zuko was now shaking Iroh's shoulders yelling for his uncle to come back. Iroh was one of the good ones he shouldn't have died, he's helped Zuko so much. Iroh was supposed to be at Zuko's wedding and become a grandpa. I went over to Zuko and knelt down next to him, pulling him into a hug. He turned and wrapped his arms around my torso, burying his face into my hair._

_"He didn't deserve this." Zuko said barely over a whisper, I could feel his tears running down my neck._

_"I know." I whispered back. I'm not sure how long we sat there crying together but the next thing I knew it was 8 o'clock at night and everyone else came back from the market._

_Iroh was one of the most wisest men I've ever met, I'm just glad he got to see what an amazing man Zuko turned out to be and I know he was proud of him._

* * *

><p>"We should all go to the beach!" Suki said after we finished our meal. We were all out in the palace garden which was just outside of the actual palace, there are trees, hundreds of flowers, and a couple ponds scattered around. It was breathtaking.<p>

"Sorry Honey but I'm pooped, I'm not going anywhere." Toph said leaning against a tree. We all nodded in agreement.

"B-but" We all looked over at Suki and she was just about ready to cry. She was sitting next to Sokka who looked like he was about to have a panic attack.

"Don't worry Suki I'll take you to the beach tomorrow, I promise." I reassured her. "We can even go to the market and find some baby clothes if you'd like."

"Thanks Katara, Sokka why can't you be nice like Katara. Instead you treat me like a goat dog." Suki cried, she then got up and ran towards the other side of the garden.

"Suki, wait! I would never treat you like a goat dog, you're so much cuter than a goat dog." Sokka yelled running after her. Ladies and gentlemen I introduce you to pregnancy. Out of everyone in the world I would have never imagined Sokka as a dad and I'm not sure if I can ever imagine that. Oh La and Tui please don't let that baby take after Sokka.

"If that's what it's like to be pregnant than I don't want a baby." Mai commented after a while. Toph then started to laugh uncontrollably.

"HAHAHA, imagine Mai pregnant." We then all caught on to what she was laughing about and we all joined in except for Mai. She looked confused.

"I don't get it." She said bluntly.

"Well no offense but you're not very emotional but if you were pregnant you would be _very_ emotional." Aang explained. Mai still didn't laugh. It got quiet all of a sudden and we all just looked at each other awkwardly.

"I still don't get it." Toph then rolled her eyes and sat up.

"Forget it Gloomy. Hey, has anyone seen Momo?" Toph asked. We all looked around looking for Momo, now that I think about it the last time I saw Momo was in...uh oh.

"Momo! We forgot him in Omashu!" Aang yelled getting up and opening his glider. We all stood up and walked over to Aang.

"Wait where are you going?" I asked putting my hand on his shoulder. He looked scared.

"I have to go get him, it'll only take a couple of days Katara. I promise." He then gave me a quick peck on the lips and flew off. We all stood there and watched Aang disappear into the distance.

"Well I don't know about you guys but I was a mess when I was pregnant with Zuko. I ate the weirdest this like dirt and grass, it was awful. So, who would like to see some of Zuko's baby pictures?" Ursa said trying to change the subject. We all laughed and followed her back to the palace. You can always count on Ursa to make you smile.

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><p><strong>Well that's the first chapter I hope you guys liked it. Please R&amp;R!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

_Zuko_

"This is Zuko in the bathtub, oh and this is when he fell into a puddle of mud. He cried for 3 hours straight and this is-"

"Mother! Please stop, why can't you show them pictures of Azula." I said crossing my arms. We were all in one of the secret chambers that's been refurbished into a sitting room. The room is for relaxing if you want to meditate, read, or take a nap. Everyone aside from Aang are sitting around my mother listening to her tell embarrassing stories about me. So far everyone knows that Azula dressed me up into one of her dresses and made me prance around the palace singing the Fire Nation National Anthem, the only reason I did it was because she gave me 20 gold pieces afterward. I say that was good money. She also some how got me to put rotten fish in one of the generals shoes, then I told my father Azula did it and she got in trouble. She thinks she's so smart, and she is, but sometimes I can out smart her.

"Fine, but I'm sure even Sokka, Toph, Katara, and Suki have embarrassing baby stories too." My mother said closing the red photo album. Instantly Katara's eyes lit up and a grin formed on her lips.

"Are you kidding? Sokka has the _most_ embarrassing stories. One time he somehow got a hold of my mother's lipstick and rubbed it all over himself, he thought he was the prettiest boy in the tribe." Katara laughed. We all burst into laughter while Sokka grumbled to himself.

"Oh ya well Katara one time cut off all of her hair and for the next 5 months people thought she was a boy." Sokka snapped back. Katara's eyes went wide and she leaned over, punching him in the shoulder. I looked over at the far corner of the room and found Mai reading a book, not even paying attention. Ever since lunch she's been really quiet, more than usual. I got up from the couch and walked over to Mai.

"Hey, you ok?" I asked sitting next to her on the couch. She looked up from her book and gave me a dirty look. Nothing I'm not used to, except she looked angry, sad, irritated, and frustrated. That's the most emotion I've ever seen Mai have at once.

"Ya, I'm fine Zuko." She said quickly going back to her book. I took the book and placed it on the table next to the couch.

"Seriously what's wrong?" I watched as her jaw clenched, she then got up and walked out of the chamber. I wonder if I did anything wrong? "Alright, enough embarrassing me. Why don't we all head back to our rooms and freshen up for dinner." I suggested. Everyone got up and followed me back out to the corridors that held the sleeping chambers. After making sure everyone got to their rooms safely I walked back towards my study. I still had mountains of work to do, I'm happy the Gaang came to visit but the council keeps pestering me to finish it all by next month. I wonder where they find all of these papers for me to do, I don't even read them all anymore.

"Zuko, sweetie please tell me you're not going to start your work again. Your friends are here." My mother said leaning against the door way. She looked worried.

"I know but you know I have a duty." I sat back in my chair and rubbed my eyes in exhaustion. The last time I got an entire night of sleep was a couple of weeks ago.

"I'll take care of the paperwork sweetie, you go rest." She said walking over to my desk.

"I can't ask you to do that, this is my responsibility."

"As your mother I'm ordering you to go get some sleep." She said in a demanding tone. Well there's no arguing with that. I got up and started to make my way to the door. "Honey, is everything ok with you and Mai?"

"I don't know, she's been really distant. Well more than usual." Every time Aang and the gang visit she always acts like that, but it's not like she's not happy to see them. Whenever they visit us I see her smiling and laughing a lot more than when they aren't here.

"You should go talk to her." I nodded and made my way towards Mai's sleeping chamber. When I knock on the door I hear a faint 'come in' and I open the door. Mai's sitting on her bed reading a book with a tray of tea next to her, that's how she spends most of her time in the palace. She looks up from her book then rolls her eyes and goes back to reading.

"What do you want Zuko?" She asks in an irritated tone. She then puts her book down and crosses her arms over her chest.

"I want to know why you always act like this when ever the Gaang comes to visit." I walked over to her bed and sat down on the edge.

"It's just, your mother likes them more. She never acts like that with me." Mai says quietly. She turns her head in shame and goes back to read her book.

"Mai my mother really cares about you, she's the one that told me to come and check on you." I said trying to reassure her. Mai looked up at me and raised her eyebrow, not entirely convinced. "It's just she doesn't get to see them as much."

"Fine, I understand." She smiles. I kiss her forehead and make my way to my sleeping chamber. When I reach my room I rush over to my dresser and take out my gold headpiece letting my hair fall over my eyes. I hate wearing this thing, I think I look better without it. I also hate wearing this stupid robe, it's heavy, it's hot, and it's really hard to run in. I quickly take a bath and change into a pair of loose pants and a red shirt. Before I can sleep I have to light candles, it's just a habit I picked up from my mother. The heat calms me and helps me sleep better. After lighting about 9 candles I lay down and drift off to sleep, the last thing I remember seeing are blue eyes.

* * *

><p>Loud banging on my door is what I wake up to, how nice. When I fling the door open I see Sokka laying on the floor trying to see under the door.<p>

"Oh Zuko, I just came to tell you that everyone is in the dining room waiting for you." Sokka said trying to sound casual. By now I'm use to Sokka's strange ways.

"Thanks Sokka, I'll be right out." I close back my door and go to blow out the candles, don't need the Fire Nation Palace to burn down. How ironic would that be. On my way to the dining hall I started thinking about the dream I had before Sokka rudely woke me up. All I remember from it was seeing blue eyes, that's it. The only two people I know with blue eyes are Sokka and Katara, it would be a little less weird if it was Katara because I always dream of her. And it's always the same dream, instead of me getting hit with the lightning it's her. After the war I would have that dream every night, after 4 months it finally stopped with the occasional dream here and there. But this time it was just blue eyes, what if I did dream of Sokka? Gross.

"Zuko, did you have a nice sleep?" My mother asked. I looked up and saw everyone already sitting at the table waiting for me. I walked over to the head of the table and sat down.

"Yes, I had a great sleep." I mouthed 'thank you' to my mother and she gave me a smile. "Well what are we waiting for, bring out the meals." Throughout the whole dinner I was just staring between Sokka and Katara, I couldn't help but look at their eyes. I noticed that Katara's eyes are kind of lighter than Sokka's. I now know that it was Katara's eyes I was dreaming about, which was weird I've never just dreamt about her eyes before. It's normally of Katara dying which makes me feel sick every time I think about it. Well one time I had a dream that she was my wife and that we had a kid but I try not to think about that one, it makes me feel funny.

"Uh Zuko, are you ok?" Katara asked, I looked up to see everyone staring at me.

"You were staring at Sokka for the past 10 minutes." Toph said with a smirk. She knew exactly who I was staring at, she's just covering it up. Thank Agni.

"Ya, sorry I was just somewhere else." I mumbled taking a bite of squid. The rest of dinner went by with Toph sending me knowing looks and Suki taking food from everyone's plate.

"Well I'm exhausted, I'm off to bed." Sokka said standing up from his chair and stretching. Everyone nodded in agreement and went their separate ways. It was about 9 now so I decided to go back to work. When I walked into my study I saw that half of my work was already finished. My mother's too good for me, I definitely have to do something for her. She's always helping out even though she doesn't have to.

* * *

><p>3 hours later and I finally finish the rest of the paperwork. I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Looking over at the clock I see it's midnight but I don't feel tired, probably because of the nap I took earlier. I decided to head over to the garden and relax for a bit then head to bed. I walked to the back of the palace and looked over at the guard towers. They were all sleeping, not sure if I should be thankful because it makes it easier for me to sneak out or angry because then anyone can sneak in and attack. Whatever, I'll deal with it later. When I make it past the guards I start walking down the dirt path that led to the garden. The gate to the garden is about 7 feet tall and made of gold with red diamonds scattered across it. I opened the gate and slowly closed it behind me. While walking towards one of the small lakes I could hear cricketbirds and even a catowl. As I walked up to the lake I could see that someone was already sitting at the edge with their feet in the water. I was about to get into a fighting stance but stopped when I saw that the person had long chocolate brown hair. I smirked and started walking towards the lake again, I can recognize that hair anywhere.<p>

"I couldn't sleep, full moon." Katara said before I could sit down. I sat down and turned to face her. She looked breathtaking, the moon hit her face making her look like a goddess and it also made her eyes look more blue. "Yue would have been happy for Sokka and Suki. She really liked him, I'm not sure if she loved him but in time I think they would have."

"Yue turned into the moon right?" I remember Sokka telling me about her turning into the moon, and I thought me and Mai had it tough.

"Ya, isn't she beautiful." I looked up at the full moon and I had to agree, she was beautiful. Waterbenders are lucky, they actually get to look at their source of bending. Firebenders can't look directly at the sun unless they want to go blind, well nobody can look at the sun really. "How are you Zuko?" She asked, I couldn't help but notice how sad she sounded. She had bags under her eyes and she was frowning slightly.

"I'm ok I guess, what about you?" She tried to smile but Katara knows she can't fool me that easily.

"I'm, not ok. I'm confused." She simply answered. I didn't want to push her, if she didn't want to tell me what she was confused about than I wouldn't ask. "I'm stuck and I don't know what to do. I know you don't know what I'm talking about, but I just need you to listen. You don't have to say anything." In the moon light I could make out tears running down her face. Katara doesn't cry as often as she use to, she always tries to cover it up because she told me once it made her feel weak. When I got shot with the lightning is the last time Katara cried. I took her in my arms and pulled her to my chest. She was their when I cried when Uncle Iroh died, so I promised myself that I would be there when she cried. Katara buried her head into my neck and continued to sob. I felt completely useless, what ever was making Katara feel like this I wanted to help her with it. What could possibly make her feel so confused that she had to come here tonight by herself and cry? I then started to feel angry, did Aang know about this? If he did why hasn't he helped her with it. From the moment Katara landed in the Fire Nation I knew something was bothering her, how could Aang not see. It was written plain as day on her face. "Thank you." She whispered into my neck, sending shivers down my spine.

"For what?" I asked, confused.

"For being here and listening." She then pulled back and wiped away her tears.

"I'll always be here Katara." I looked into her eyes and let me tell you, that was a mistake. I couldn't look away, they were so hypnotizing. I could swim in her blue eyes for the rest of my life. I subconsciously started to lean towards her, my eyes flickered down to her lips and they were just as mesmerizing as her eyes. Right when our lips were about to touch a turtleduck came up and bit my finger. I yelled out and jumped up accidentally shooting fire into the sky. Katara doubled over, laughing. "Oh you think that's funny?"

"Yes." She continued to laugh. I then picked her up, throwing her over my shoulder and tossed her into the lake. "You asshole!" She yelled. Now I'm the one laughing. I then feel something cool wrap around my foot and pull me into the lake. Damn I forgot, Waterbender. "Haha." she laughed back at me.

"Alright, I deserved that." I said holding my hands out in surrender. We both laid back and floated on top of the water, watching the stars. For the rest of the night we didn't mention the almost kiss, thank Agni. I'm not going to lie, I wanted to kiss Katara. It wasn't a spur of the moment, I've thought about what it would be like to kiss her since the day I tied her to that tree. I know that meant I would be cheating on Mai, but we haven't really been doing well for the past couple months. I feel guilty that I think about kissing Katara even though I'm already with someone else. The only reason I didn't tell Katara about my feelings was because I knew she had feelings for Aang and I knew Aang would treat her right. The Airbender has had a crush on Katara from the moment he laid eyes on her, everyone could see that. I just wanted her to be happy, but she doesn't look happy now. It's not my place to get into her business, I'm not her boyfriend. Don't get me wrong I love Mai, just not the same way she loves me. I know she cares about me and that's what makes me feel so guilty, it's not fair to her. I can't help how I feel for Katara, I don't know if it's love but I do know that I care about her a lot more than I should. She's perfect, from her eyes to her lips to her long brown hair, her personality is so caring and kind. When we were trapped in that cave in Ba Sing Se Katara offered to heal my scar even though I was the enemy, that was the nicest thing anyone has ever done to for me. Even though she didn't get a chance to heal it, I know she would have. But I went and betrayed her, I know she already forgave me but I still feel guilty when ever I think about it. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I joined them in Ba Sing Se. I look over at Katara and see that her eyes are closed.

"Katara." She doesn't move. She must have fallen asleep. I stand back up on my feet and pick her up bridal style and carried her out of the water. I didn't want to wake her up so I just carried her back to the palace. On my way back I could see that she was smiling in her sleep and she looked gorgeous. If I could have it my way I would have her sleep in my arms every night.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 is complete! R&amp;R because it would make me happy, please. :)<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

_Katara_

I slowly open my eyes and the first thing I see is the doors that led out to the balcony. From what I can make out through the cracks of the door it could be no later than 6 in the morning telling by the position of the sun, normally in the South Pole I would be up and starting my chores by now but I'm on vacation. With that in mind I snuggle back into the bed and close my eyes. After a while I feel something tighten around my waist and I snap my eyes open. Turning my head I see Zuko with his arms wrapped around me and his head snuggled up to my neck. I feel a surge of panic. What in Tui and La's name happened last night. I remember talking, then he threw me in the lake, and after that I'm pretty sure I fell asleep. I looked back behind me and saw that Zuko wasn't going to get up anytime soon. Well he deserves the rest, it's a pretty stressful job being the Fire Lord. I decided to get up and make Zuko a cup of tea for when he wakes up. When I got up from the bed after slipping out of his arms tantalizingly slow trying to not wake him up, I realized that we both fell asleep in our wet clothes. Walking over to the wardrobe I pull out the first thing my hand grabs which is a blue kimono, I walk into the bathroom and quickly change into it. I throw my dirty clothes in a pile on the bathroom floor and walk back out, I then bend the water out from Zuko's clothes not wanting him to catch a cold. I quietly slip out from the room and out into the hall, not wanting to wake anyone up. When I walk into the kitchen I find Suki sitting on the floor munching on a bag of fire flakes.

"Suki, what are you doing up?" I say kneeling down beside her. "I don't think you should be eating those."

"I was hungry and I can eat whatever I want." She pouted. "Me and Toph fell asleep in Sokka's room last night, I hope you weren't too worried about us."

I instantly felt guilty because Toph and Suki didn't even cross my mind until now. When I woke up all I worried about was not waking up Zuko and making him tea. Not once did I think about my pregnant future sister-in-law.

"I was a little but I knew Sokka was with you guys." I lied. "Come on let me help you to bed, later today I'll take you to the beach like I promised."

"Okay, I can walk myself." Suki said pulling away from my grasp. I watched her waddle out of the kitchen, I then turned to the stove and started boiling a pot of water. There was a box on the table full of different tea leaves, I took out 3 Jasmine blossoms and put them in the pot.

"I didn't know you liked Jasmine tea." A voice said behind me. For some reason I instantly thought of Uncle Iroh, he had this weird tendency to pop up at random times. Especially when tea was being made. But it wasn't Uncle Iroh, it was Ursa.

"I don't, but Zuko does." I said immediately regretting what I said. What if she thinks something is going on between me and Zuko and then she tells Mai, that would cause all sorts of unnecessary drama. But Ursa wouldn't do that, she's not that kind of person.

"Of all the years I've raised Zuko, I never knew that." She said thoughtfully. "I didn't even know he _liked_ tea."

"He doesn't really like people knowing, I found out by accident." I said stirring the tea. I turned off the stove and set the teapot on a tray along with a teacup. Before walking out of the kitchen I turned to face Zuko's mom. "Ursa, me and Zuko aren't-"

"I know Katara, I would never think of you two in that way without knowing the facts first and even if there was something going on it's not my business." Ursa then walked up to me and kissed my forehead. I watched her disappear down the corridor. When I walked back into my sleeping chamber I found Zuko sitting at the edge of the bed rubbing his eyes. I walked over to the night stand and set the tray down.

"You didn't have to do that Katara, but thank you." I smiled and poured the tea out for him. When he took the tea from my hand I felt that his skin was a bit warm. I took my hand and placed it against his forehead, it was burning.

"Zuko you have a fever." I stated. He swatted my hand away and took a sip of tea.

"I'm fine." He mumbled. He then started shivering. Ya, he's _definitely_ fine.

"Zuko you're sick, you need to get cleaned up and rest." I took him by the arm and led him out of my room. As we approached his chamber Zuko's temperature got higher and he started shivering more. I led him into the room and laid him down on the bed. "I'll start your bath."

"Katara, really you don't have to do this. I have servants." Zuko coughed. I rolled my eyes and continued to get his bath ready.

"Zuko I'm a healer, so let me heal you." I walked out of the bathroom and grabbed Zuko's arm. "But even though I'm a healer and I'm suppose to be taking care of you, I'll give you the honor of bathing yourself."

"Gee, thanks." Zuko laughed and walked into the bathroom. I walked out of his chamber to give him his privacy. On my way back to my room I found one of his servants walking down the hall with a stack of towels.

"Fire Lord Zuko is very sick, could you tell the cook to make him a bowl of soup?" I asked the young woman.

"Of course Master Katara." She nodded, I could see a hint of fear in her eyes.

"You can just call me Katara." I smiled kindly, she instantly sighed in relief. What did she think I was going to do, attack her. Am I really that intimidating? Or maybe that's how the people in the palace normally treated their servants. As the woman quickly scurried off to the kitchen I headed back to my room to take a bath of my own. I still smell like lake water. As I got in the shower I started thinking about last night and immediately remembered how me and Zuko almost kissed. I could feel a blush creeping on my cheeks and a grin starting to form on my lips. Zuko almost kissed me. I then frowned, but what if he did end up kissing me. I would have cheated on Aang and he would have cheated on Mai. Ugh! I'm so stupid, I shouldn't be smiling about this. What was Zuko thinking, what was _I _thinking?! I was going to kiss him back which is just as bad. But the truth is I wanted to know what it would feel like to have Zuko's lips on mine. I've wanted to kiss Zuko since we were trapped in that cave together in Ba Sing Se. Stupid Zuko with his stupid lips and his stupid eyes that make me melt, and his stupid scar that's really sexy and his stupid body that's perfect. I sighed and turned the water off, stepping out of the tub and wrapping a towel around me. I changed into my water tribe clothes but left my hair out to fall down my back. After I take care of Zuko I'm going to have to take Suki to the beach like I promised. She'll kill me if I don't. What could she possibly want to do at the beach anyway? As I made my way to Zuko's room I saw that the servant was walking out of his room, she probably just gave him his soup. I knocked on the door and heard Zuko order me to come in.

"Did the bath help?" I ask peeking inside. He was sitting on the bed with a fresh pair of clothes on eating his soup. He looked up and smiled.

"Ya, thanks." I walked over and sat down next to him.

"What happened after I fell asleep?" I watched him put his spoon down and he started smirking. Uh oh.

"Well I carried you back to the palace because I didn't want to wake you up." Right then I started blushing in embarrassment. "I took you to your sleeping chamber, I was going to call a servant to come and change you because I didn't want you to sleep in your wet clothes but you grabbed my hand and told me to stay. When you finally fell asleep your grip was so tight I couldn't get up so I just fell asleep next to you." He finished. Dear Tui and La, how completely humiliating! Why did I do that? Ugh, Zuko won't let me live this down. I opened my mouth to say something but nothing came out. Zuko then chuckled.

"Oh shut up." I slapped my hand against Zuko's forehead and he flinched away but still continued to laugh at my embarrassment. "Your fever went down a bit, you should be fine by tomorrow."

"Are you and Suki going to the beach today?" He asked while I pestered him into finishing his soup.

"Ya, Sokka would probably want to come too." When he finished his soup I took the bowl and set it down on the dresser. I then walked over to his bed and pulled back his covers gesturing for him to lay down. He rolled his eyes and went under the covers. "I'm going to go get Suki ready to go to the beach, when we get back I better not find you doing anything else but resting."

"Yes Doctor Katara." I rolled my eyes and turned to leave. "Oh and you were also saying my name in your sleep, just thought you should know."

I quickly slammed his door shut and leaned against it. I can never face Zuko again. I placed my hand on my cheek and it felt hot, if I didn't know better I would probably think _I_ had a fever but I don't. Now that I think about it being sick sounds a lot better. As I make my way to Sokka's room I could hear screaming in the distance. When I reach his chamber I fling the door open to see Toph laughing, Suki looking like she's going to kill someone, and Sokka on the verge of pass-. He just passed out.

"What is going on?" I ask placing my hands on my hips. I scan the room and see a small bed that was made up on the floor, probably where Sokka slept.

"Sokka wanted to come with us to the beach, but I told him we're having a girls day and I swear to every spirit that I'm going to castrate him." Suki said in a deadly tone. I looked over at Toph and gave her a nod. She then stood up from the bed and walked over to Sokka, taking him by his arm and dragging him out of the room.

"You're right it is a girls day, so let's get you ready for the beach." As I helped Suki get ready she insisted on wearing one of her old bathing suits but I told her no. 1 because it wouldn't fit her anymore and 2 because Sokka wouldn't allow it. Sokka's only 18 but he's already getting grey hair. He spends most of his day eating and fussing over Suki.

"I want to wear this Katara." Suki said holding out her arms for me to see. She was wearing a hot pink kimono, with an orange scarf tied around her waist, tube socks with brown sandals, and a giant blue floppy hat. "Isn't it cute."

"Um, it's very cute Suki. Are you ready to go, do you need anything else?" There's no arguing with a pregnant woman, it's best to just agree with whatever she says.

"I need sunscreen, don't forget to bring money so we can buy baby clothes at the market, and my fans if we need to fight." Suki walked over to the dresser and pulled out a giant bag, she packed her sunscreen and her fans. Not that we would be fighting but again all I can do is agree with her. As I look around the room I notice that most of Suki's stuff is in Sokka's room, I guess she wanted to stay with him. "Oh I'm just staying here until Aang gets back. Alright I'm done." She stated.

"Whose ready for the beach!?" Toph yelled kicking the door open. "You're not even ready Sugar Queen, you go get dressed and then meet us at the palace doors."

I started to walk back to my room but stopped in front of Mai's instead. I knocked on her door and waited.

"What do you want?" Mai asked from the other side.

"It's me, Katara. I was wondering if you wanted to go to the beach with me and the girls?" The door then opened.

"I can't I have a lot of work to do." Mai said plainly.

"Well then maybe next time." I smiled and turned to walk away.

"But thanks for, you know, inviting me." Mai blushed. I gave her one last smile and walked away. As I stepped into my room I quickly put on my under wrappings which counts as a bathing suit and threw on back my Water Tribe clothes. I wasn't planing on going swimming anyway, most of the time I'll just be keeping an eye on Suki. She's like a child, you turn around for one second and she's gone. I closed my room door and started running down the hall to meet up with the girls but someone grabbed my arm and pulled me into a room. I was about to knock them out cold until I saw that it was Zuko.

"Zuko, you're suppose to be in bed." I said, getting ready to yell at him.

"I know but before you guys left I just wanted to tell you to be careful. Some of the people haven't fully accepted the other nations, so you guys might get some looks and comments here and there. I don't think they will try to hurt you but if they do-"

"Zuko we'll be fine, I promise." I say cutting off his sentence. "We can take care of our selves." I reassured him. After getting him back in bed, I sprinted to the palace doors.

"Well it's about time, we were just about to leave without you. What took you so long Sweetness?" Toph grinned. Again she knows exactly what happened and the proof is in how fast my heart is beating. Why can't she just mind her own business.

"Who cares why she took so long, let's just go to the beach." Suki said impatiently. Thank you Suki. As we walked to the beach I noticed how different the Fire Nation is than the Water Tribes. For one it's a lot hotter, they also have trees and birds, and flowers. Pretty much anything that can grow, nothing grows in the Water Tribes we get shipments now since the war ended. It's really nice here though, but I wouldn't live here. The Fire Nation is no place for a Water Bender to live, I would go mad. The South Pole on the other hand is just where I belong, it's cold all the time and there's water, well snow, everywhere. "We're here we're here!" Suki screamed.

There wasn't that many people which's good. The sand was very dark, almost a blackish color, but the water was crystal clear and that is where I want to be. I turned to tell Suki something but she was know where in sight. I looked over at Toph and she was just as confused. Great I lost my brother's girlfriend.

"You guys, come help me build a sandcastle!" We heard Suki yell. We looked down the beach and saw her sitting on the ground. While me and Toph walked down the beach to meet Suki I noticed that the small amount of people who were on the beach were giving us looks of disgust. That didn't bother me but if they tried to put their hands on me, Suki, or Toph it won't be pretty.

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><p>After we built 3 sand castles, attempted to go shell searching even though there weren't any shells, and bought ice cream in which Suki ate me and Toph's we were finally ready to leave. None of us got to go in the water because we were too busy chasing Suki around, she just couldn't sit still. If this is what Sokka goes through everyday then I'm going to have to give him props.<p>

"Come on you guys, you're so slow. We still have baby shopping to do." Suki called after us. Me and Toph were lagging behind, we were out of breath and so tired. I don't know how Suki is able to do this, she's pregnant for crying out loud.

"Suki we don't even know if it's a boy or a girl." I complain. We pass by several shops, most of them had jewelry and Fire Nation snacks.

"Well we can buy toys right?" Suki then ran up to a small shack and started talking to an old woman. "That woman says that there's a toy shop but it's on the other side of the village. We can go there some other day, my feet are killing me." Suki said, she turned towards the palace and started walking. Toph looked like she was about to kill Suki.

"I hate pregnant women." Toph said following behind her. As we were walking through the village back to the palace a man in a long robe, he was probably very wealthy, was yelling something to us. I couldn't really hear what he was saying, he was a couple shops ahead of us. When we got a little closer I could make out what he was saying.

"Hey you peasants, get out of the Fire Nation! No one wants you here!" He yelled. Toph looked like he was about to throw a rock at him but I pulled her back.

"Don't bother with him." The man kept yelling but we kept walking. What I was really worried about was Suki, if Suki decided to yell at him or attack him I don't think I'd be able to hold her back without hurting her. She's like a freakin bulldozer.

"Hey who got you pregnant, I bet you don't even know." Right then Suki stopped in her tracks. Great, this isn't going to be pretty.

"What did you just say?" She asked calmly. The man standing behind the counter of the shop smirked. All he wanted was a reaction from us, but he's going to get more than a reaction.

"I said-" Before he could finish Suki dumped a bowl of noodle on his head. I looked around and saw most of the shop owners, who were mostly old women, surrounding us. They looked mad, but not at us, at the man.

"He can pay for that." Suki said she then grabbed me and Toph's arm and dragged us the rest of the way to the palace.

"Way to go Honey, that was impressive." Toph smiled. Suki didn't say anything, probably because that man basically called her a slut. I would have done something but most people from the Fire Nation think that people from the Water Tribe are barbarians. If I reacted that would just prove their point, there's no winning with ignorant people. No matter what you say or do they will always be the same, so you shouldn't waste your breath on them. All they want is a reaction from you and I didn't want to give him that satisfaction. When we reached the palace the doors opened to reveal Ursa with a smile. I asked her yesterday if she wanted to join us but she said she had work to do, it seems like everyone has work to do.

"I'm glad you're all back, I was getting worried. You must be starving, there's some rice and chicken in the dining room for you ladies." Ursa said grabbing the beach bag from me and leading us inside. Toph and Suki both sprinted towards the dining room. "You might want to check on Zuko." Ursa whispered to me. I instantly started to panic. Is he alright, I shouldn't have left. "Oh he's fine. I meant you being a healer and all, you should check to see if he's doing better." Ursa laughed at my expression. "When you're done I need to talk to you so meet me in my chamber."

I walked towards Zuko's room and opened the door. He was laying in bed sleeping just as I left him. I walked up to his side and placed my hand on his forehead, his fever was almost completely gone. I was about to full my hand away until he grabbed it. I looked up to see if he was awake but his eyes were still closed.

_"Katara"_ he mumbled. He pulled my hand again forcing me to sit on the bed next to him. Zuko then started to rub circles on my knuckles and I shivered. Nope, this can't be happening. Who does this in their sleep?! I looked up at his face again and he _was_ sleeping, his breath was even and Zuko can't pretend to do anything. If he was faking he would have already started laughing. I leaned over and kissed his forehead, then pried my hand out of his. When I closed his room door I leaned against it in confusion. Did I just kiss Zuko? Maybe I should have gone to that mental hospital with Azula.

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><p><strong>Well that's chapter 3. Hope you guys liked it, please R&amp;R. 3<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

_Zuko_

When I open my eyes I could still feel a slight tingle on my forehead from where someone touched me. I quickly got up and ran to the door, opening it to see Katara walking down the hall. She probably came in here to check on me. I turned around slightly and looked towards the open window. The sun was just about setting. They must have just gotten back. I closed my room door and started following Katara. I want to make sure nothing happened while they were gone, if anyone tried to mess with them then they will be _very_ sorry. No one can mess with the people I care about and get away with it. As I followed her down the hall I saw that she was heading towards my mother's chamber. She knocked on the door and walked in. Katara didn't close the door all the way so I could kind of make out what they were saying. I walked closer.

"Katara, you came. I have something very important to talk to you about." My mother said. I peaked through the crack of the door and saw them both sitting on my mother's bed, she was holding Katara's hands in hers.

"What is it? Are you alright?" Katara asked in concern.

"No I'm fine. It's you I'm worried about." My mother stated. I wonder if my mother noticed how off Katara's been.

"Me? I'm fine." Katara said giving her a fake smile.

"No you're not. You might have everyone else fooled but I can tell something's been bothering you." Katara looked down at her hands, they were shaking. "How are you and Aang?"

"We're fine. Never been better." Katara answered quickly while still looking down at her hands. My mother gave her a sad smile and squeezed her hands.

"Sweetie you can tell me."

"It's just that, I'm not entirely sure if I still love Aang. I don't even think I loved him in the first place." Katara said closing her eyes in shame. My mother wrapped her arms around Katara and pulled her into a hug. Katara doesn't love Aang. I really shouldn't be smiling but I can't help it. I feel bad for Aang I really do because he's head over heels for Katara. But I can't help but think I actually have a chance with her. Back before the war when I was first with the Gaang, everyday I would try to muster up the courage to tell Katara how I felt but we were always so busy training or running from Azula.

"Sweetie it's not your fault, you can't help how you feel." My mother said softly.

"I know but the worst part is I'm not in love with Aang but I'm in love with someone else." Katara said letting her tears fall. Is that what she was talking about last night when she said she was confused? She was confused about being with Aang but also being in love with someone else. Who the hell is she in love with?! Maybe it's someone she met in one of the earth villages or in the Southern Water Tribe. I knew I should have went with them, I could have seen who this bastard was.

"Who are you in love with?" My mother asked looking at Katara with a small smile forming on her lips. Katara didn't say anything, she just wiped away her tears. "Fine you don't have to tell me. But Katara why is you loving someone else such a problem?"

"I don't want to hurt Aang." She said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Of all the years I've known you Katara, I notice that you shape your life for other people to be happy because you care about them. You are the most caring, brave, sweet, fierce, and beautiful woman I've ever met. But honey it's okay to be a little selfish sometimes. Do something you want to do for a change." My mother said holding Katara's face in her hands.

"I do things for myself, I went to the beach today with the girls." Katara said defensively.

"Did you even get to go in the water?" My mother asked raising an eyebrow.

"No." Katara looked down.

"When Aang gets back I want you to tell him the truth. After all you've done for other people, you deserve to be happy." My mother said kissing Katara's head and standing up. "Now come on, I heard the chef's making chocolate cupcakes."

They both got up and started walking towards the door. I quickly looked around and saw a pillar to hide behind. When they were finally out of sight I walked out from behind the column.

"So you finally know that Sweetness doesn't love Aang." I quickly looked behind me to see Toph smirking at me. "It's about time someone found out, I mean it's pretty obvious. Why are you just standing there, come on. I heard the chef's making chocolate cupcakes."

I silently followed Toph to the kitchen. How could I forget, Toph knows everything. You can't do anything in secret without Toph knowing about it. It's weird to think about how Toph could see everyone while they were bathing back before the war. Even though each of us bathed almost a mile away. I guess Toph isn't as innocent as everyone thinks. Poor thing must be scarred.

"Come on slow poke." I quickly caught up to her, I have so many questions to ask her.

"So, who's Katara in love with?" I decided to start with that question.

"You're just as blind as me, you know that Sparky?" When we reached the kitchen we found everyone eating chocolate cupcakes, laughing.

"You guys are just in time, the chef just finished putting the icing on the cupcakes." Sokka said stuffing 2 into his mouth. I grabbed a cupcake and bit into it. Yup best cupcakes in the Fire nation, I knew it was a good idea to hire him. Mean while, Katara was telling a story about when they visited a fire nation village and how she impersonated the Painted Lady. It was an amazing story, my mother was definitely right. Katara does put others before her. While she was telling the story you could tell that she was really into it because she had a huge smile on her face and she was flapping her arms around like a mad woman. It was cute. I walked a little closer to hear the rest. I looked behind me and saw the chef pulling out another batch of cupcakes. I suddenly felt something smooth and sticky on my cheek. I turned back around and saw everyone looking at me in shock and Katara looking at me in horror. I typed at my cheek and found chocolate icing on my hand. Turns out that while Katara was swinging her arms around she had her cupcake in her hand. I wanted to laugh and just tell her it was okay but I also wanted to pretend I was mad and scare the hell out of her.

I lifted up my hand and everyone sucked in a breath. Sokka watched my every move, getting ready to attack if I try to hurt Katara. Suki watched in excitement taking a bite of her 8th cupcake. And my mother and Toph both watched in amusement, they know I would never hurt Katara. I took my cupcake and slowly smeared it across her face.

"FOOD FIGHT!" Toph screamed. I think I heard the chef scream 'no, please don't' but chaos already broke loose. Cupcakes were flying everywhere, I had icing all over me. I watched as Katara slammed a cupcake on my head and started laughing. I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her up against me, slamming a cupcake back down on her head. My mom and Toph were throwing cupcakes at Sokka and Suki, and the chef was watching us in horror.

"My beautiful kitchen." He cried. Katara was still in my arms struggling to get out but my hold was too strong. I then felt water shoot down on my head and my grip loosened. Katara fell to the floor laughing her head off.

"Hey that's not fair, no bending." I whined. Everyone joined Katara and I just stood there with my arms crossed.

"Awe, is the almighty Fire Lord pouting." Katara cooed. I glared at all of them and walked out of the kitchen. I could hear everyone laughing back in the kitchen and I just roll my eyes and smiled. Those guys are something else, I never thought I would have friends like them. Growing up I was only around Azula's friends. If you could even call them friends, more like slaves.

"Zuko wait!" I turned around to find my mother running after me.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" I asked taking her chocolate covered hands in mine. She smiled and led me towards my office.

"Yes, I just wanted to talk to you." We walk to my office and I close the door behind us. There was already a steaming pot of tea on my desk, so I poured out a cup for my mother.

"What do you want to talk to me about?" I sat down in a chair across from her and waited for her to speak.

"Are you and Mai alright? I've noticed how distant you and her have been." Nothing gets pass her huh.

"Ya, we're fine. I've just been really busy." I lied.

"Oh you mean busy spying on me and Katara." Yup, nothing definitely gets pass her. "Fine, you don't have to tell me anything. But I'm going to tell you what I told Katara, there's nothing wrong with wanting to be a little selfish sometimes. It's okay to want to be happy." My mother said with a sad smile. "You and Katara are very alike you know. You don't get the amount of love you both deserve. She loves too much and you don't love enough. It's pretty ironic don't you think?"

"What should I do mom? I'm so confused." I leaned forward and placed my head in my hands.

"You should do what your heart tells you to do. You have always listened to your head Zuko, your head made you want to please your father by capturing the Avatar. Then your heart told you to _join _the Avatar and help save the world, I don't think your heart is done talking to you. Just listen to what it has to say." She kissed my forehead and got up, walking out of my office. I think my uncle has rubbed off on her, but she has a point. My head did tell me to listen to my father and stupid me went and listened to it. But now I have to keep listening to my heart and I know exactly what my heart wants me to do.

I got up and quickly made my way to Mai's room. When I opened the door I found her on her bed reading, like always.

"We need to talk." I stated walking over to her.

"Why are you covered in chocolate?" Mai asked raising an eyebrow. She sat up and placed her book next to her, crossing her arms waiting for me to continue.

"That's not important. Mai, this isn't working." I looked up at her expecting her to either look angry, sad, or I don't know _something_ but her face didn't change.

"I know, I've noticed. We haven't been the same since the time you first broke up with me." She said without emotion.

"I'm sorry Mai but I'm in love with someone else and it isn't fair to you." She nodded in understanding and sighed.

"It's Katara, isn't it?" I stared her, surprised. "Don't lie to me Zuko."

"Yes, it is. I'm so sorry." I apologized. I felt like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I don't have to lie to myself and everyone else and pretend I have feeling for Mai anymore. I'm glad I don't have to keep leading her on like this, she could be with someone that truly loves her.

"Don't be sorry, I'm just glad you're not telling me this in a letter. I think Katara will be good for you, she has a lot of love in her." Mai said with a smile, it was one of those rare smiles she gave only a handful of people. I pulled her into one last hug and walked out of her chamber with a smile on my face. One step closer to having Katara all for myself but first I have to find out who this bastard she's in love with is. I started walking, I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going. I felt a small body slam into mine and I caught the person in my arms pulling them to my chest. I was met with the very blue eyes I was just thinking about.

"Zuko, I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there." Katara blushed. I loosened my hold but didn't remove my arms from around her, which just made her blush even more. Katara was freshly showered and didn't have a spot of chocolate on her, and if she did I would have gladly taken care of it. She was wearing her blue upper water tribe clothes but I don't think she was wearing any pants underneath, which made my pulse quicken just a little. Her legs were plain as day to see but it wasn't like the amount of legs the Fire nation dancers show at the festivals, that's a bit too much legs for my liking. If I was a normal person, seeing Katara's legs wouldn't really be an issue but since I'm not a normal person they're driving me crazy.

"It's fine, I wasn't paying attention. Where are you off to in such a hurry?" I asked raising my eyebrow. Right then I realized that her hands were placed on my chest, she might not be a firebender but it sure felt like she was burning holes through my shirt.

"I was going to make a cup of tea and sit out on my balcony to watch the moon. I've been worrying about Aang, so I just wanted to relax for a little. Did you want to join me?" She said quickly. She talks fast when she's really nervous.

"Sure, why not. But let me go get cleaned up first. I'll meet you in the kitchen." I unwrapped my arms from her waist and her hands fell from my chest. I wanted to take her hand in mine but that would be a little weird. I walked the opposite direction towards my room. I quickly opened the door and started taking my clothes off. I took a quick bath, scrubbing off all the chocolate from my hair and body. I changed into a red shirt and black pants. I didn't really need to wear any shoes, so with that I started walking towards the kitchen.

When I finally reached the kitchen there was not a single sign that we had a food fight earlier. The whole place was spotless. Katara was sitting by the small table in the corner waiting for the tea to finish.

"You don't have to worry about Aang, he'll be home in a couple days." I reassured her.

"I know but I just have a lot to talk to him about." She got up and finished up preparing the tea. I followed her to her room, when we walked in I found it in a complete mess. Clothes were scattered everywhere. For a girl who yells at people for not eating properly, she sure has a messy room. "Sorry for the mess. I'll clean it later, maybe."

We both walked out onto the balcony and found the moon right in front of us. There were chairs already set up and a table in between them. Katara placed the tray on the table and sat down on one of the chairs. She poured out the tea and leaned back, gazing up at the moon. I took a couple sips of my tea and watched the moon, this _was_ relaxing.

"I'm glad that you use to hunt Aang." Katara said after a while.

"Why? I almost killed you multiple times." I said looking at her in confusion.

"Ya but because you wanted to hunt us you ended up joining us instead." She smiled. I smiled back and touched my scar. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing it's just, this scar has caused so much problems." No one ever looked at me the same after I got my scar. "After I got my scar I was so caught up in getting back my honor that I hurt a lot of people."

"Zuko, you never lost your honor. You spoke up for those new recruits in the military meeting and you refused to fight your father. That's one of the most bravest things I've ever heard someone do." I remember when I told Katara how I got my scar, she cried and hugged me. Not in a way of saying sorry because I hate when people say sorry, but in a way that she understood what I was going through. "You can't lose what you never lost. You're the most honorable man I've ever met."

I just wanted to pull her in my arms and kiss her senseless. Katara always knows what to say to someone to make them feel better.

"You don't need to have the Avatar, the Fire nation crown, or even a silly ponytail to prove that you have honor. Whenever I see you the first thing I notice is your scar and I remember all the amazing things you've done for others." Katara continued. "You're perfect and you don't even know it."

I grabbed Katara's face in my hands and smashed my lips against hers. They were everything I imagined and so much more. I was in absolute heaven. She immediately kissed me back and I ran my tongue across her bottom lip. She opened her mouth and our tongues battled for dominance. I quickly wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her onto my lap so she was straddling me. Katara ran her hands through my wet hair and pulled me closer. She tasted like rose tea and chocolate icing, and smelled like rain. It was intoxicating. I rubbed one hand up and down her back and the other was squeezing her upper thigh, trying to pull her closer if that was even possible. It's like I can't get enough of her, I wanted to take her right here on this balcony. I wanted to ravish every inch of her body with my mouth, I wanted everyone to know she was mine. I pulled my lips away from hers and kissed my way down her neck. She threw her head back and moaned my name, pulling my hair harder. My grip on her tightened and a growl escaped from my throat. I pulled back looking into her eyes and saw that they were half lidded and a shade darker than normal. Just then we both pulled farther apart and looked at each other in shock. We slowly got up and stood in front of each other, not knowing what to say or do.

"Um, thanks for the tea." I said. I quickly made my way out of her room and slammed the door shut behind me, leaning against it. What did I just do?

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><p><strong>So that's chapter 4. It got a little steamy, didn't it? Well winter break is coming up so I won't be posting for 2 weeks because I'll be out of state, I'm so so sorry. But as soon as I get back I will start writing immediately, scout's honor. R&amp;R!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

_Katara_

We kissed. I kissed him, he kissed me. Oh my water spirits we kissed each other! Aang's going to hate me, Mai's going to hate me, everyone's going to hate me! I'm a terrible person, why did Zuko kiss me? Why did I _let_ him kiss me? _Because you enjoyed it. _No I didn't, it wasn't that good. I mean ya his lips tasted like chocolate and fire, is fire even a flavor? And even though his hands were rough they caressed my skin like a cloud and it was like heaven. Okay fine, I liked kissing him. But I cheated on Aang, how could I do that? Now everything's going to be so awkward between me and Zuko.

I hear a knock at my door and quickly open it to find Toph standing there with a smirk, when does she ever _not_ smirk.

"Okay Sweetness, I could feel you and Sparky's heart beats from the other side of the palace. What happened? Give me all the juicy details." Toph said walking over to my bed and hopping on it, waiting for me to start.

"Nothing happened between me and Zuko. He just came to say goodnight." I lied. What is wrong with me, obviously Toph could sense I'm lying. Toph raised her eyebrow as if she was saying 'Are you kidding me?'. See, she knows everything.

"When you two are in a room together your hearts beat almost as fast as a humming chicken, but just now it sounded like you both were about to have a heart attack. He didn't _just_ come to tell you goodnight." Toph said crossing her arms.

"Fine. He kissed me, and I kissed him back." I walked over to the bed and dramatically threw myself on it face first. I didn't hear anything from Toph for a while, so I looked up to see if she was still there. She was looking down at me as though I was the biggest idiot in the world.

"That's it? I thought you guys like, accidentally had sex or something. Why are you freaking out about this so much, it was only a kiss." She shrugged like it was no big deal.

"How do you accidentally have sex with someone? And it _is_ a big deal, I cheated on Aang!" I sat up looking at her with wide eyes. How can she think of this like it's nothing?

"So, you were going to break up with him anyway." She said as she began to pick her toes. She is definitely the wrong person to talk to. I should have gone to Suki or Ursa. Ursa! Why didn't I think of this before?

"I'll be right back." I told Toph while throwing on a pair of pants. I quickly ran to Ursa's room and barged in without knocking. She was lying on her bed knitting a dark blue scarf.

"Katara, what's wrong? Is everything alright?" She asked, sitting up.

"No, everything is not alright. Zuko kissed me! And I kissed him back!" I yelled. Ursa looked a bit shocked but then started smiling. Why is she smiling, what is wrong with everyone?!

"Honey there isn't anything to freak out about." She started to say.

"What do you mean there isn't anything to freak out about? I cheated on Aang and Zuko cheated on Mai!" I said waving my hands around trying to explain this to Ursa. Is everyone going completely insane? It's like they don't understand a single thing I'm saying.

"Katara, Zuko broke up with Mai earlier today." Ursa explained. I couldn't do anything but stare at her in shock. Why would Zuko do that, is Mai alright, what the hell is going on? "Zuko didn't love her, so he broke up with her because he didn't want to keep leading her on."

He did exactly what I'm about to do to Aang. But why, I knew they were a bit distant but they always seemed that way.

"Okay fine so he didn't cheat on Mai, but_ I_ cheated on Aang." I said as tears started to form in my eyes. "It's bad enough I'm breaking up with him because I'm in love with Zuko but I cheated on him." I said without thinking.

I looked up at Ursa in shock and found her with a huge grin on her face. Great I just told her I love Zuko, could this get any worse?

"YOU LOVE ZUKO?!" I turned towards the door just as Sokka fainted to the floor. Ugh, this is just perfect.

* * *

><p>"So how long have you been in love with Zuko?" Sokka asked while pressing an ice pack to the side of his head. After he fainted we carried him to the palace infirmary. Suki and Toph joined us a little while after, so pretty much almost everyone knows my little secret. I guess it's not a secret anymore.<p>

"Well when me and him were trapped in the cave in Ba Sing Se I had a little crush on him. Then he went with his sister and I hated him, and when he joined us I was a bit skeptical but I still felt something for him. Then when he helped me find our mother's killer I forgave him and-"

"Ugh, I didn't think your answer was going to be this long." Sokka whined. I glared at him and smacked him in the head. "Ow!"

"I think around the time we got to his dad's beach house I started to fall in love with him." I finished. Suki and Ursa looked like they were about to cry, Toph looked smug as usual, and Sokka looked sick. Well he's the one that asked.

"You are not allowed to love him. It's bad enough I had to deal with you and Aang, but you and Zuko. He' s way older than you Katara and he's the fire nation, and-" Sokka stopped. Everyone, including me, was glaring at him. "What?" Suki stomped up to him and started hitting Sokka's shoulder.

"First of all he's only 2 years older than her, the war's over, and you can't tell her who she can or can't love. I've shipped them since Ember Island and you are not going to mess this up for me!" Suki yelled. She started running out of breath so we let her sit down and rest. After 20 minutes of convincing Sokka he finally accepted how I felt about Zuko, for Suki's sake, and agreed to be there when I tell Aang in case something goes wrong.

"So what are we going to do to get you and Prince Pouty together?" Toph asked.

"Okay here's what we're going to do." Ursa started. "We're going to pretend that there's an alien invasion, then we send Zuko and Katara to a very small island together and have them live there for a couple weeks. By the time we go and get them, Katara should already be pregnant." Ursa finished.

"Oh yes, I like that plan." Suki cheered. This isn't going well.

"That sounds like a plan Sokka would come up with, in other words a really bad plan." Toph said rolling her eyes.

"Hey, my plans aren't that bad." Sokka chimed in.

"Okay here's what's _really_ going to happen." Toph, Suki, Sokka, Ursa, and even the doctor all stared at me, waiting for my plan. "Nothing."

Everyone then started looking at me like I just grew a tail from my head. What did they want me to do conspire a way to get Zuko and me together? I can't force him to love me.

"I'm not doing anything until Aang gets back. Is that clear?" I then got up and walked out of the infirmary. I need a bath. When I reached my room I peaked out of the balcony and saw that the sun was starting to rise. Ugh I got no sleep. I quickly took my bath, changed into my sleeping clothes, and hopped into bed.

I hope Aang comes back soon, the guilt is eating me alive. What I still don't get is why Zuko kissed me in the first place. He never showed any sign of liking me before, so why start now? Him and Mai seemed so perfect together, they both don't really talk much, are from the fire nation, and knew each other since they were little. Maybe I should go see if she's okay later on today. I can't imagine she would be fine after their break up, how many times was it they broke up again? Too many times for one girl. Mai really doesn't deserve this. Hopefully she fines someone that truly loves her. After 30 minutes of trying to sleep I got up and went looking for Toph. She should have been here by now. She's probably earth bending somewhere.

* * *

><p><em><span>Zuko<span>_

You would probably think that I was freaking out about kissing Katara, but I'm not. Nope, I'm as cool and a cucumber.

"I kissed her! And she has a boyfriend! She's going to kill me, and so is Aang with his Avatar powers! I'm a dead man!" I screamed at one of the guards I found while I was on my way to throw myself off a cliff. Yup, definitely not freaking out.

"Um sir-" The guard tried to say.

"No, I'm not done talking." I said, cutting him off. "What do I do? I don't regret kissing her because it was amazing, but what if she hates me now. What if Sokka tries to beat me up, no never mind Sokka isn't really all that strong."

"Sir maybe you should just wait until Avatar Aang gets back then see how everything plays out. You did say she was going to break up with him, right?" The guard said. He's right she was going to break up with him when he got back, which should be any day now.

"Thank you, what's your name?" I asked, patting the guards shoulder. I couldn't see his face due to his helmet but I still wanted to know is name, in case I needed more advice from him.

"Lee." He said plainly. Of course it is. 85% of the fire nation is named Lee. After I finished talking to Lee I started walking towards my study. When was the last time I trained? All this Fire Lording has really taken up a lot of time. If I'm not doing paperwork than I'm either in a meeting or off to a fire nation village to help out. I should head to the training room sometime today or tomorrow. As I walked farther down the hall I could see my mother walking in my direction with a huge grin on her face.

"Hey Zuko!" She said cheerfully.

"What are you so happy about?" I asked with a smile. What can I say, her smile is contagious. She followed me into my study and sat in the chair across from my desk.

"Oh nothing, you'll find out." She grinned. "So how did Mai take it?"

"I could tell she was sad, but she took it well." I said rubbing my eyes. Even though I didn't sleep all night, I could feel a wave of energy flood through my body. I looked behind me through the window and saw the sun beginning to rise.

"Honey, you should head to bed. You've been up all-"

"I kissed Katara." I said, cutting off my mother's sentence. I watched her face carefully, waiting to see what she would do. She placed her hand over her mouth and turned her head away.

"Oh." She simply said, I would have thought she was disappointed or crying if I didn't hear her soft giggles. Now I'm really confused. I didn't know what to say so I just said nothing, waiting for her to stop giggling. But she didn't stop, if anything she clutched her stomach and started full on laughing.

After 5 minutes passed she sat back in her chair and wiped away the tears that started falling from her eyes.

"I'm sorry, that was rude. Tell me about what happened." She tried to say in her motherly tone.

"Well um, after you talked to me in my office I went to end things with Mai. After that happened, I was on my way to my room but ran into Katara and agreed to have tea with her. Then we were both on her balcony and she told me that I had honor and how I shouldn't be ashamed of my scar. I couldn't take it anymore, so I kissed her." I finished. The smile my mother had on her face made her look like a clown, it was pretty weird. The whole reason I'm freaking out about the kiss isn't because of Aang or Sokka, but Katara. I know she feels guilty about it because of Aang. I would have felt guilty too if I was still with Mai. I think I should apologize to her, but she did kiss me back.

"This is so exciting!" She cried with joy. She's almost as bad as Ty Lee. "So what are you going to do, take her and run away together?"

"No, I'm going to wait until she breaks up with Aang and go from there." I got up from my chair and stretched out my arms. "I'm going to head to bed, you should too. You haven't slept either."

"Good idea, get your sleep. We'll continue talking tomorrow." I walked my mother to her room and made sure she had everything she needed. On my way to my room I could hear faint voices. As I turned a corner I ran into Katara and Toph, literally. Toph caught herself before she fell, but Katara didn't. I leaned forward and grabbed her waist, pulling her close to me. We both froze and stared at each other, both of our cheeks turning red.

"Well, I should head to bed. Goodnight Katara." Toph said quickly and ran towards her and Katara's room. She is unbelievable. Oh great what am I suppose to say, I'm just staring at her like an idiot. I looked down and noticed she was now wearing her sleeping clothes, sadly. Oh great now I'm thinking of her without pants, or a shirt, or a-.

"That was some kiss earlier, huh." I said nervously. Toph's laughter burst through the palace. Can this get anymore embarrassing?

"Um, Zuko." Katara said looking down. I followed her eyes and found what she was looking at. Please, Agni. Shoot me in the face with fire. I just got Zuko jr. excited while thinking about Katara without clothes. I'm an idiot! And to make it worse Toph's laughter grew even louder, she'll wake up the whole god damn palace. I quickly let go of Katara and ran to my room like a scared little boy. When did I become such a wimp?

"Good one Sparky." Toph yelled to me from somewhere in the palace. I slammed my door shut and fell onto my bed. I looked out to my window and saw that the sun was almost completely up. After what just happened I definitely won't be able to sleep. I lit a few candles and covered the window so the light from the sun wouldn't get in. I could at least _try_ to sleep.

After about an hour of tossing and turning I still wasn't able to sleep. Katara kept filling my mind. From the kiss we shared last night to the embarrassing moment that happened in the hallway. I can't show my face to her ever again. A knock at my door brought me out of my thoughts. When the door opened none other than Katara was standing there.

"Katara, what are you doing here?" I asked shocked. She looked down nervously and started biting her lip.

"I couldn't sleep and-. Never mind, I'm sorry for waking you." She said about to turn around. I grabbed her arm and pulled her into the room, shutting the door behind us. I led her to my bed and climbed in, waiting for her to follow. She reluctantly followed and got under the covers. She was at one end of the bed, trying to stay as faraway from me as possible. Which is probably for the best. But after a couple minutes she scooted closer, wrapped her arms around my torso and placed her head on my chest.

"Is this okay?" She asked in a soft whisper.

"Absolutely." I answered, circling my arms around her shoulders and pulling her as close to me as possible. This couldn't be more perfect, the amount of times I've imagined her falling asleep in my arms. Nothing could ruin this moment, well except maybe if Sokka came into the room and attempted to fight me for touching his sister. Which would only end up with him unconscious. Or if Aang came back at this exact moment and tried to kill me, and I don't doubt he could. The kid has grown a lot since the war, he's almost as tall as Sokka. He also learned how to go in and out of his Avatar State, which means he could kill me if he wanted. I wouldn't blame him either, if I was with Katara and some guy was trying to steal her away from me I would kill him without a second thought. Well I would _like_ to think that, but if he really made her happy I would let them be together. No matter how miserable I would be without her. I would give up everything for Katara, if she asked me to give up the throne I would, anything she wanted I would do. With the exception of my mother. No one can tell me to leave my mother or disrespect her, but I know Katara would never do that. All I want is for her to be happy, with or without me.


End file.
